“We learned that patience is very important to handle kids of this age group,” laughs Jyotsna, one of the volunteers from Sagility Health. Smiling, she adds, “the kids were amazing, and they were cooperative, and the event went really well.”

The screening was part of our corporate relations programme, which invites companies to financially support eye health initiatives and provides their employees with the opportunity to participate in programme delivery.

In this case, volunteers from Sagility Health helped organize the excited children into queues, documented the students’ information, and held up the “Tumbling E” eye charts – standard tools used when screening young children for eye conditions. Members of the ophthalmic team from the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) were on hand to conduct a more thorough screening on any child identified as having potential vision problems.

In a single day, 16 children received prescriptions for eyeglasses and another three got referrals for further diagnosis at LVPEI. All the children took part in an eye health education session, which included instruction in eye exercises and diet.

In addition to helping with the screening, the Sagility Health volunteers also made donations to cover the cost of the prescription eyeglasses for the students who needed them.

Over the past decade, we’ve been developing a range of school eye health programmes, both in India and in our other countries of work. The idea is to train teachers and volunteers to conduct or assist with eye health screenings right in the classroom. This means we can screen more children, and helps us make sure that girls, often overlooked for eye health care, are getting the same access as their male counterparts. Finally, by reaching out to children, we can help them and their families become familiar with the eye health care available to them, empowering them to seek eye treatment in the future.

Our Head of Resource Mobilization Subhadip Bhattacharya, who organized and attended the event, says he looks forward to facilitating more volunteer projects like this one.

“The energy from the students was palpable,” he says. “They were so excited to participate in the eye screenings. Likewise, the volunteers from Sagility Health had a great time and learned a lot about eye health. This is the first time they participated in a student eye screening volunteer programme, and their enthusiasm was notable. It’s a win-win for us when we can provide eye health screenings to children while also offering an exciting employee experience to our corporate partners.”

Two of the volunteers say they were touched by all the students clamoring for their attention and addressing them as ‘teacher’. “We are feeling very happy,” they say, “We are recollecting our school days.”

To learn more about our corporate relations program, visit: operationeyesightindia.org/corporate-relations

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Looking back, I understand how truly fortunate we were. My children had the opportunity to go to school, play their favourite sports and sign up for various art classes. My wife and I had the pleasure of watching our children grow – seeing them ride their bikes for the first time, cheering on their hockey teams from the bleachers and watching them fall asleep after tuckering themselves out on the playground. But, sadly, others aren’t so lucky to enjoy these special moments in life.

In many developing countries, children with poor vision cannot see to read, go to school or play. Parents living with avoidable blindness cannot see their children smile or watch them grow. Can you imagine how different your family’s life would be if you didn’t have access to quality eye care or didn’t have the means to pay for necessary treatment?

Shockingly, 80 percent of cases of blindness or low vision are treatable or preventable. The challenge is, many people cannot afford eye care, and that’s if there are even eye care services available to them. And many people aren’t aware of the different eye conditions that affect vision, or the importance of eye health.

The good news is, thanks to our amazing donors, Operation Eyesight has been able to restore sight or prevent blindness for millions of people living in developing countries. Did you know that for just $20, you can provide up to three children with brand new, custom-fitted prescription eyeglasses? Or that for only $50, you can provide life-changing cataract surgery to a parent in need?

When you give a gift to Operation Eyesight, you give the gift of sight and so much more! Please consider making a donation, in honour of the “new year” spirit.

As my grandkids enter their second week back at school, I hope other children living in countries like India, Ghana, Kenya and Zambia are given the opportunity to do the same. On behalf of parents and grandparents living in these countries, and on behalf of all of us at Operation Eyesight, thank you for your support – and happy “new year!”

The post Ringing in the new (school) year appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

We all want to send our kids back to school feeling good about themselves; we want to do everything in our power to help them succeed, both academically and socially. What if I told you that, for just $20, you could help three other children, too? Children like Mercy Jerotich…

Mercy wants to be a teacher. It’s a big ambition for a girl from a small village in Kenya — a place where common vision disorders can stop someone in their tracks, and end any prospects for a happy, healthy future. That’s because in places like Africa, low vision or blindness can be more than just a physical challenge; it can be an insurmountable barrier that often relegates someone to a life of poverty and despair.

In Mercy’s case, her sight started to deteriorate when she was just six years old. As the daughter of humble peasant farmers, she had no access to eye care. Instead, she was forced to put up with impaired vision.

As time went on, however, her school work started to suffer. She even had to repeat some classes in an effort to bring up her grades. But with her condition worsening and her performance sliding, she was losing hope. “I feel frustrated,” she said at one point. “I think I am going to stop going to school.”

Imagine going through life, feeling your vision slip away from you, unable to do anything about it. That’s how Mercy felt, until the day her life was turned around by a simple eye exam.

You see, Mercy’s vision problem was perfectly treatable. When she was examined by a cataract surgeon at Kapsabet Eye Unit — supported by Operation Eyesight — the surgeon diagnosed Mercy’s condition as refractive error. In other words, she said Mercy needed eyeglasses.

Thankfully, Mercy received a pair of custom-fitted, prescription eyeglasses — paid for by our kind-hearted donors.

Today, wearing her eyeglasses, Mercy can read with ease. Her grades are improving, and her future is bright. Now 14, she is set on becoming a teacher. “I am going to work hard to achieve my dreams in life,” she says.

Mercy is very grateful to the Canadian donors who made it all possible. “If it were not for your support,” she says, “I don’t know how my life would be.”

For $20, you can provide three people like Mercy with custom-fitted, prescription eyeglasses. Visit our website to learn more. Thank you for helping these children succeed and achieve their dreams!

The post Helping children succeed this fall appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

It’s September and all over the world, children have trooped back to school. It’s an exciting time of year for children. Bright eyes ready to read and write – it’s great to be a kid.

But what if the kids have no school?

We work with rural people in Kenya and Zambia and we know they are just as committed to education as anybody else. But we learned something interesting; when a village has no reliable source of water, teachers often won’t work there. It makes sense when you think about it. The teacher is responsible to get water for the students, and that water source may be many kilometres away.

At Operation Eyesight, we know that the conditions that contribute to eye health have a positive affect on other aspects of life. One of those conditions is clean water – lots of it, nearby.

Zambia is a country that often struggles to get enough water. But in the Maamba Sinazongwe District, there is water and a school and teachers  – wow! In 2008, Operation Eyesight established a well to stop the threat of trachoma in the district, and other things started happening. Just look at the kids.

The Mweela Basic School opened in 2009. It has over 250 students in grades one through eight, and many of them have a long walk to get there. But they know when they arrive that there’s plenty of water for washing and drinking. And food. The school has a garden with okra, beans and maize, some of which is also sold to buy school supplies. The healthy crops are watered from that same well.

To all our donors who helped make that water source a reality, here are a few words from Gillian Ngandu, the school’s head teacher: “Thank you very much – we like the water very much. We find it has helped the children very much. The water is clear and clean. It makes a big difference for the girl children because they like to wash, but the boys still have to be encouraged,” she says, smiling.

“We can do anything with water. Other schools envy us.”

If you would like to contribute to Operation Eyesight’s water projects in Africa, click here to visit our online Gift Guide.

The post Back to school! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.